The present invention relates to a radially expandable stent for implanting in a body vessel in the region of a vessel branch, formed as a hollow-cylindrical element.
Radially expandable stents of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. The radial expandable stents are utilized at narrow locations in body vessels or body hollows for expanding the narrowing and stabilizing the vessel wall. Such narrowings of the body vessels can occur in the region of vessel branches. The use of a conventional stent is not possible here, since its wall would prevent a free blood circulation in the branched vessel. The German patent document DE 297 01 758.6 discloses a special stent which has a portion with increased radial openings so that this portion can extend over the branch location of the side branch vessel and no longer prevents the blood passage or hinders it only insignificantly. In the case of corresponding unfavorable stenosis formation of the main vessel directly in the branching region this stent however can not sufficiently cover the sickened vessel portion due to great radial openings extending over a whole portion.